Caleymeint Treachery
by Crystalite
Summary: Placed in Medievel times, Sakura has a strange dream that will forever change her life...and why are Shoaran and Eriol trying to kidnap her?? R&R! Will be S&S and T&E!
1. Prologue

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Disclaimer: Wow, big surprise… I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura! Hmmm what would you say if I did… J/K. Any way I do own Caleymeint! * Welcome to my world*.

Author note: 

This is set in the past, in sorta medievalish times where there is magic and monsters…so I guess it is otherwise known as a fantasy story. You learn about the characters from the story, so I won't say too much about them. Oh, I do know that Eriol is the reincarnation of Clow Reed, but not in my story hehehe. This'll definitely end up being a S/S and T/E, unless I am hit by a huge boulder or something in that category.

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Prologue

Sakura watched as her world became intricate shades of black and blue. She was floating in the sky, bright, pinpoints of light shining gently above her. Despite the warm feeling that pulsed around her, she felt as though that it was just a cleverly disguised mask, hiding something far deadlier. Sakura shivered as faint chills creeped along her back.

She was a little girl again, running through a grassy field. She turned around, waving brightly at her parents who sat calmly in the distance sharing a picnic lunch. Her brother sat beside them, though he kept one wary eye out towards Sakura. 'He must have been worried I'd wander too far…" She realized to herself.

Bright lights filled her thoughts. 'It hurts.' She shielded her eyes. 'This light, it hurts.' Screams filled her ears. Her mother's, her father's, her brother's… Her own.

The world faded away, back to the starry sky of before. A robed man stood before her, peering down with gentle eyes.

"W-Who are you?" She asked.

"I need your help…" The man closed his eyes and tightened his fists, looking like he was fighting some unknown force. He opened them once again. "Only you are strong enough to help this land." He looked at her, as though seeing her for the first time. "And yet, your power…it's not awakened." A small sigh escaped him. "I fear this will not be easy for you-" The night around them flickered unsteadily. Sakura felt a cold wind rush by her and for a split second saw two wind blown mountains in the distance. The vision vanished and she appeared back in the starry sky. "That was were I will be kept…no am being kept. My time grows short. Here." She was given a strange pendent, pink with tiny wings on it. "This'll allow you to focus you mag—" He fell to his knees. "I grow weaker." His tone sounded very apologetic. "Seek my apprentices. They can help…" He began to fade out.

"No, wait! Who are you?" Sakura cried.

"I am Cl…" His image flickered. He turned toward her… "Don't worry you have a strong heart. I know you can help me…" He vanished completely, leaving her alone. The world shifted again and she felt herself flying across the dark sky. She was alone.

Her eyes opened suddenly and she found herself sitting on her own bed. 'A dream…' She realized, sighing slightly. She curled back under the covers staring blankly up at the ceiling. "Hmmm?" Her hands were clasped around a strange object. It was the same object that man had given her in that…dream… 'Was it a dream…'

*Thirty minutes beforehand*

Clow Reed narrowed his eyes slightly as he entered the room. He knew that someone was in there, waiting for him, like the owl silently waits for a mouse to scamper across his path. 'But I am no mouse.' His room was heavily shadowed, filled with so many forgotten spirits that he couldn't discern to whom the aura was. 

"Clow…" A voice echoed into his ears, coming from the turned chair that had been resting by the fire.

"Takse…" Clow replied back, instantly recognizing the strangely harsh voice.

"Ever perspective I see…" The figure rose from the chair, a strange smirk on his face. Clow reached for the pendent that he always wore around his neck, a little surprised when he found nothing. "Looking for this?" Takse held up the powerful artifact, then lightly tossed it over to Clow. "You should be more careful." He walked past him, pausing only once to whisper, "Clow Reed," before leaving the room. Clow kept his face impassive, but inwardly he wondered what this man was up to. If he was going to try to kill him, Takse had his perfect chance…yet he did not take it.

Clow Reed was a power sorcerer king who ruled peacefully over the land of Caleymeint. He himself had no heir to the palace, but was training two suitable people under an apprentice ship, both qualified for the duty if it was ever necessary to pass it down. 'Though there is another…' He did not fear that they would ever fight over his kingdom. While they were still at the young age of seventeen, they both showed great integrity. He was sure when they were ready; they would easily choose the rightful heir. Unfortunately, do to the tradition of this land, until either of them reached the age of twenty, they wouldn't be declared his legal heirs. Until that time, the highest of noblemen would claim his thrown if he regrettably died in the near future. And that man was Takse Kinomoto.

Takse was a cold-hearted person whom carried a large amount of magic. He had only one other family member, a niece who would be around Clow's apprentices' age, if he remembered correctly. Supposedly he cared a great deal for her, helping to support her when her parents and brother died from a mysterious accident twelve years ago. He had never met this girl, himself, but was told that she had grown to become an extraordinarily beautiful woman. Shaking his head slightly away from his never-ending thoughts, he again took out his pendant. The circle featuring both the sun and moon glowed underneath him as he called forth his magic. The pendent pulsed in his grip and a dark cloud lurched toward him.

"What—" Clow blinked as his magical artifact vanished and the dark mist-like substance began to overcome him. He chuckled slightly. "Very wise, Takse." Clow felt himself be pulled inward, and without his staff there wasn't much he could do about it. 'I have gotten careless,' He thought ironically to himself. With the last of his diminishing strength, he sent forth his powerful aura outward, in the form of a dream. It would attach itself to the strongest good sorcerer and alert him of his situation. 'I wonder who it'll be…' He found himself thinking, but as his magical whirled outward, it passed over his two apprentices in search of another. 'As I thought…" He closed his eyes as the dark magic took over him. He vanished, his pendent reappearing as it fell to the floor, a sound louder than any other noise that had come from the room.

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The prologue is done!! Like? Don't like? Please Review!!! I am done with the next chapter, but I will not post it unless people like it. Sniff, sniff…you do like it…right?


	2. Accusations

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Disclaimer: Once again I do not own CCS, nor will I ever own any other anime…unless I suddenly become a billionaire…or maybe for some strange reason I inherit it…but right now I don't ^_^

Authors Note:

Hmm one thing I probably need to mention. In my story, the people who have magic don't use cards, just spells. Oh, and Shoaran is going to take his power from the sun and not the moon, like in the anime. I think that is all…hope you enjoy!!!

Clow's apprentices both woke at the same time as Clow's magic passed over them. Even though they were in separate rooms, they both could feel each other's aura glowing brightly with confusion as they both hurriedly changed clothes and ran to Clow's study. They met each other in the halls, neither questioning if the other had felt the same presence. There was no need too. 

"Clow!" Together they threw open the door. The room was strangely empty and devoid of the usual spirits. It was as though it had been sucked dry…

"Where did he—" One of them began, but the other shook his head and interrupted.

"He is gone."

"I know that!" The other spat, his amber eyes flashing in the dim firelight. "Where did he go—"

The first shook his head. "He is gone. Calm down and relax. My power is at its best during the night, Shoaran, just as yours is best during the day. Clow's aura is gone."

Shoaran closed his eyes, realizing Eriol was right. "Do you think he…" He stopped as guards, probably alerted by the strange sounds, rushed into the room.

"Arrest them!!" Came a loud shout from corridor. 

Eriol and Shoaran blinked. Out of all the things they would have suspected, this was far from the top of either of their list. 

"Arrest them for the disappearance of Clow Reed!" Shoaran narrowed his eyes as the guards surrounded them. He knew that voice. It was…

"Takse!!" He hissed.

Eriol calmly watched as the guards pulled out their swords raising them slightly. "Don't try any funny stuff." One guard warned.

"And why are we being accused of Clow's disappearance?" He softly asked. 

Takse walked through the door. "Because, I saw you two magic him off."

"What? Why would we do such a thing!?" Shoaran asked, his voice rising slightly from fury.

"Where is Clow Reed then? And why are you in his private study?" Takse asked. Shoaran glared darkly as the guards jostled him forward.

A little while later, Eriol and Shoaran sat not too happily in the humid grime of the palace dungeons. Eriol placed a hand on his chin a he closed his eyes to think. "Something must have happened to Clow Reed. He wouldn't just disappear like this."

"We have to help him. If Takse gets the crown…" Shoaran shuddered to think what a vicious man could do when he got power. "It is strange, though. Why were the guards so willing to believe Takse story?"

Eriol shrugged. "Hypnosis, bribery, conspiracy, who knows. If we leave to look for Clow now, everyone will suspect us for actually killing or kidnapping Clow."

"And if we don't begin while the trail is still fresh, we may never be able to find him." 

Eriol smiled. "Shall we go then?"

Shoaran clenched his fist. Clow was more then just his king or master. He took him in when he was alone in the world. He was the only person he could even closely picture to being a fatherly figure. Of course he would have to save him. Besides, without Clow, Takse would get the crown and rule in a tragic and tyrannical way that would imperil all the good Clow had succeeded during his reign. "Should we wait to be tried by the council? I am sure that Takse has no solid bases on his claims. This is probably just a way to keep us from looking for Clow."

"If we wait, we may never be able to find him." Eriol repeated. Shoaran sighed. Eriol was probably finding this very amusing, well, all of it other than Clow's disappearance. Shoaran knew that leaving was a rash decision, but there was no time to spare. 

"Lets go." Shoaran took out his bronze medallion but hesitated. "Takse knew that we carry these with us so why didn't he take them from us?"

Eriol smiled once again. "He wants us to escape. By escaping, we are going to take all the suspicion off of him and onto us." He drew out his own pendent. "If we are able to rescue Clow, it will all be okay." He looked though the narrow bars of the cell window. "He is still alive. I just know he is." His pendent disappeared to form a long staff. Shoaran followed his lead and his medallion grew to become silver sword. They looked at one another and nodded. Eriol brought up his staff and concentrated his power into the artifact. Each of the apprentices had certain spells they could cast. Clow had taught them some spells simultaneously, but he seemed to more enjoy teaching them different, yet overall equal spells, to insure 'variety' as Clow always said. Eriol wasn't sure if Clow was being smart or not, but with them each having different spells, it taught them to work together and not against one another. "Power…" He whispered, feeling energy rush through him. He then reached up and pulled the bars apart. 

Shoaran held out his sword and called out, "Wind..." Wind wrapped around the two of them and lifted them out the window and into the starry night.

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This is kind of short, but they will get longer as I write more…Please Review!! I like Reviews….a lot. But doesn't everybody…unless they are flames *shudder*…actually, I don't mind flames if they are constructive, but not just random 'I hate this story because…well there is actually no reason to hate this story, but I just don't like you and I like to flame!' kind of flames.

Thank you to all those who reviewed my prologue!!

Review!!! Please!!!


	3. Meiling's Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS.

Author's note:

I personally think it gets a little more interesting from now on. I don't think there is anything extra that I need to add…erm, I am sorry, but it is going to take a while before it becomes a complete S&S and T&E…those will be the final couples!!! Sorry for all you Meiling fans; I hope I haven't made her too Meilingish.

Shoaran watched as the ground left them, and after some thought, directed his wind carrying them to a certain noblewoman's house. Eriol looked at him for a moment, then seemed to understand why Shoaran was diverting his course. Shoaran's fiancée, after all, was known to do rash things under pressure. She would probably set out of full scale search party while at the same time formulating on the best way to overtake the castle, just so Shoaran would be safe. She could be rather persistent.

Shoaran circled the house for a moment, trying to remember exactly which room she was in. It would be awkward if he accidentally entered the wrong chambers. He headed to one of the balconies and tapped lightly on its door. After a moments wait, a robed figure jumped onto the balcony, two daggers glistening in the faint moonlight, echoing the shine in her ruby eyes. Shoaran stepped back waving his arms slightly. "Its me, Meiling." 

"Shoaran?" A huge smile broke across her face as she recognized her betrothal. "Shoaran!! I was so scared" She rushed forward to envelop him in a hug, dropping her weapons onto the floor. Shoaran sighed.

"Meiling, I just came by to tell you that I will be away for awhile in search of Clow Reed, so don't worry about me." Eriol laughed softly at his straight forwardness. Meiling, just now realizing that the midnight-blue hair apprentice was there as well, glared darkly at him. Then she turned to face Shoaran, a genuine look of worry on her face.

"Why do you have to go? What has happened to the king?" She frowned. "And anyway, why do you have to search for him? Isn't that what those palace guards are for?" She sniffed slightly, not really having any care for her inferiors.

"They think that we have done something to Clow Reed." Eriol spoke, then quickly summarized the nights events in his normal, calm-yet-slightly-amused tone.

"So Takse is behind this all." She deliberated, not seeming entirely surprised. Shoaran had already told her a lot about this man. "Doesn't he have a niece?" She began to pace around them as a plan began to formulate in her mind. "Well, supposedly he has taken really good care of her since the death of her family." She stopped. "I know!" She clapped, delighted about her idea. "We should kidnap her and take her hostage!"

"What!" Shoaran looked at her as though she had finally snapped (again). "We can't kidnap anybody! Takse may have people believing we're criminals, but we don't have to prove he is correct!" 

"Don't think of it as kidnapping!" Meiling exclaimed. "We are going to merely borrow her until we find the king." She raised her hand to quiet Shoaran before he began another wave of protests. "Takse may have told her something, or maybe he will tell you where King Clow is in exchange for his only living relative." She seemed quite pleased by her reasoning.

"Still, that gives us no right to…we?" Shoaran stopped. "What do you mean by 'we'?"

"Well, you, Eriol, and I of course. I am not just going to stand around while my betrothal goes off to who knows where to find the king." 

"But Meiling, we don't even know where we are gong to start look--"

"To the east." Eriol interrupted.

"Huh?" Shoaran gave him a blank look. Eriol smiled. 

"When we felt Clow's magic going past us, it was heading east. It would make sense if we start there." 

Meiling smiled broadly. "This had to be fate! The Kinomoto house is to the east. We can just stop by and take her. Or-or we can think of a different plan." She smiled a little nervously as Shoaran gave her the look. "I have met her once at a party. I know that she always goes for an afternoon walk in to the woods after lunch, normally alone." 

"Isn't that dangerous for a girl to be going by herself?" Eriol asked.

"Well, maybe for some, but her uncle has had her train in all forms of fighting since she was a little girl. I heard it was because he was afraid that whatever had killed her parents and brother may try to get her next and he wanted her to be protected. Of, course, she is no match for Shoaran or I." She turned and ran back in her room, pausing only once to warn, "If you leave without me, I will just follow. I know that you are heading east. I would just eventually find you, Shoaran." 

"This has just managed to become even more complicated." Shoaran sighed and leaned against the balcony rail, peering into the night. Eriol meanwhile looked lost in thought.

"Hey, do you think it is a coincidence that Clow's aura was heading in the same direction as his niece's home? Meiling could be right about her knowing something important."

"Oh, not you too!" Shoaran moaned. "Are you actually suggesting we kidnap some poor girl who we don't even know?" 

"If it will help bring Clow back…" Eriol let his sentence hang, watching Shoaran's responses carefully. 

"I guess since we will be in the area, it won't hurt to stop by the Kinomoto house. That doesn't mean I agree in actually kidnapping, but I do agree that all possibilities should be explored. Maybe he left a clue behind, in that house." 

A short while later, Meiling reappeared, wearing her traveling clothes and carried a small bundle behind her. "Lets go!" She pounced on Shoaran as he summoned his magic. He sighed. Getting betrothed wasn't really his idea. When he was little, Meiling made him promise her that she would be his fiancée and they would eventually marry, unless he found someone he loved more than her. Like that was ever going to happen. Meiling made sure no females got to close to him and made it well know to everyone that he was an engaged man. 

"Wind!" Wind wrapped around them and lifted them up. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. It took a lot of energy to carry three people. They flew just above the trees, holding a steady pace. A few hours later, Meiling began to pull frantically on his arm, pointing at a beautiful mansion in the distance. 

"That's it. The Kinomoto house!!" She stood up and pointed to the ground. "Let's rest there. That looks like the general direction that girl always walks." Shoaran sighed.

"I didn't say we'd actually kidnap her."

"But we do need to rest." Eriol commented. "You are tired from using magic all night. We could sleep until early afternoon and then we can worry about what to do later." They landed in a small clearing in the lush forest. "I will take first watch." He nimbly jumped up into a nearby tree, so he would have a better view of the area. "I'll wake you up later, and Meiling will have the last watch. Unless you don't want to." He peered down at Meiling. She glared at him.

"Of course I will take a watch." She opened the bag she brought and pulled out two blankets. "Here you go Shoaran." She tossed one of them over and wrapped herself up in her own. 

Shoaran nodded in thanks. He felt a little guilty about going to sleep while Clow remained missing, but there was no helping it. He had to rest. Besides, Eriol would probably scan the area in search during his watch, while the moon still remained in the sky.

Eriol was doing exactly what Shoaran expected. He had taken out a silver mirror and allowed the faint light to hit it. He whispered a few words, eyes tightly closed as his reflection begin to waver and distort. "Clow's aura." He whispered. The image swirled and seemed almost to focus, but the went back to its chaotic waves. Eriol sighed. "The last place Clow's aura was sensed." He said, though didn't really expect anything to appear. The problem with the searching spell is that you had to be within a certain distance of what it is searching for, before it could show you anything. To his surprise, an image in the mirror appeared. 'That's not Clow.' Even though it wasn't focused, he could immediately tell it was a young woman, asleep. Eriol frowned slightly. Was Clow last present before this girl? But why would he appear before her and not his own apprentices?

"Shoaran, Shoaran!! Wake up!! She is coming!" Shoaran blinked open his eyes, finding Meiling standing over him. "I saw them in the distance!" He sat up, yawning slightly. He felt like he had finally fallen to sleep after he had taken his shift. 

"What are you talking about?"

"Kinomoto!" She cried, pulling him to his feet. 

"I think we should go and just see if there is a possibility Takse's niece knows something." Eriol said softly. "I saw a strange person when I was searching for Clow, maybe it could be her." 

"What?" Shoaran asked, but Eriol merely shrugged and managed to look mysterious. "Fine." He jumped into the air, landing with ease on a tree limb. "Meiling, you stay here."

"But Shoaran…" Meiling cried.

"We will be right back." He bounded lightly from branch to branch, Eriol following his example. 

Meiling sighed and settle on the ground. "He will be back."

"Sakura, you are doing so great!!" Sakura's best friend praised. Sakura blushed under the compliment.

"Not really." She tried to quicken her horses gait, but somehow managed to instead have it stop. "Come on, please go!" It was her first time to ever ride a horse. Her uncle, for some odd reason, had forbidden her to ever come near a horse, and, since he was always so kind to her, she had followed his wishes. He encouraged her to learn all sorts of ways to protect herself, and she excelled in sword fighting, martial arts, and archery, but even as he helped her, her uncle seemed to always be watching her every move, as though…as though waiting for something. Sakura shivered slightly. But, just the other day, he had sent a messenger with a message saying she could begin to learn how to ride a horse. Her best friend, Tomoyo, immediately offered to teach her.

"Oh, but Sakura, you really are wonderful! And after only one day of lessons." Tomoyo practically swooned in delight. "This is one of the happiest days in my life!" Sakura laughed hesitantly, her knuckles turning white from her desperate grip on the reins. 

The trees passed by them pleasantly and a faint wind stirred up dancing leaves about the horses' legs. Sakura rode a solid white horse, while her friend rode on a midnight black one. Tomoyo cocked her head to one side. "This is odd. Isn't there normally birds in the trees?"

"Hmm, maybe they already left for winter." Sakura suggested. Something tapped lightly on her chest. She blinked and looked down, a little surprised to find the pendent that had appeared the other night swinging freely about her neck on the leather string she had tied to it. 'It must have slipped out earlier.' She decided.

"Oh, what's that?" Tomoyo asked, jumping off her horse and tying it to a tree. She ran over to Sakura and helped her friend down and also tied up the horse. "I don't remember you having it yesterday."

"Well, I was having a very weird dream, and when I woke up, I had this in my hand." She slipped it off and handed it to Tomoyo, who inspected it with mild curiosity. Sakura straightened up. She had an uneasy feeling they were being watched. 

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So, did you like? I hope so. I have Sakura and Tomoyo finally entering the story now (well other than for that dream). Please Please Please Please REVIEW!! I love to get feed back!!

Review!!!


	4. Kidnappers....?

Disclaimer: Still don't own CCS. 

"Which one is the niece?" Syaoran whispered. They were sitting in a branch high above the unsuspecting girls' heads. "There are two of them." 

Eriol narrowed his eyes. The unclear image in the mirror had revealed no specific details about the girl, so either one of them could be her--or not be her. "We need to get closer, to hear what they are saying." He climbed down slowly. Soon, he was in hearing distance, but the dense undergrowth prevented him from seeing anything. Shoaran landed beside him, pulling out a few leaves that had caught in his hair. One was talking about a weird dream she had. 'A dream?' Eriol wondered. Could it be a prophetic dream? Pendent. They were now talking about a pendent. Could it be similar to the pendent they themselves carried?

"Shoaran, I think we should question the one with the pendent." He whispered. Shoaran nodded in approval. 

"I'll use Sleep on them," He said. Shoaran brought his pendent and held it high in the air. It grew to form his sword. "Sleep." He whispered.

Sakura's uneasy feeling only increased. She looked at one bush, where the strange feeling seem to be the strongest. A cool sensation enveloped her like a gentle cloud of dust. For some reason, she began to feel a little tired, but she quickly shoved that aside. She couldn't fall asleep now. Tomoyo, on the other hand, fell to her knees, one hand clasping the artifact Sakura had given her. She seemed to be taking strength from it.

"So sleepy…" her friend whispered. Sakura knelt down beside her and begin to shake Tomoyo's shoulders.

"What's wrong, Tomoyo?" A sharp crack came from behind her. Sakura instinctively withdrew her sword and stepped in front of her sleepy friend. "Who are you!?" She demanded. "And what have you done to Tomoyo?" 

Eriol looked at Syaoran. "Now." They leapt out of the bushes, expecting to see the two girls asleep on the ground. What they didn't expect was for one of them to be alert and battle ready, sword drawn in her hand, calling for explanations. The other girl wasn't completely affected either. She was still holding on, half-closed eyes peering curiously at them. 

"Why didn't it work?" Shoaran hissed, keeping out his own weapon, just in case this girl decided to charge them. Eriol looked carefully at both and saw that the dark hair girl on the ground was the one with the pendent. 'Is she the one?' He wondered.

Tomoyo could barely keep her eyes open. It would be so nice to just take a short nap, but she couldn't, not with these two strangers approaching Sakura. She struggled to get to her feet, looking at both the boys carefully. They seemed to be a little confused at what had happened as well, but the boy with the dark-blue hair seemed to be looking for something in particular. 'I wonder what?' Tomoyo saw him look at the object she was holding, then back up at her. 'Are they looking for the owner of this pendent? That would be…Sakura.' She stifled her shock. They were after Sakura. It made sense. Sakura was relative of the Lord Kinomoto, who may eventually take the throne; a man who had great influence over many people. 

Tomoyo didn't hesitate… Sakura was her best friend. She refused to let anyone take her away.

She stood to her feet, feeling strength come to her with her resolution. "Are you okay?" Sakura asked, as usual more worried for her then she was about herself in their present situation. Tomoyo stumbled to where the horses were held. The dark hair boy took this time to attack, leaping over to intercept Tomoyo. Sakura was ready though, and jumped in front of him, preventing him from reaching her. He held out his blue staff into the air. The other boy stood back, seeming to know what was going to happen.

Eriol watched as the girl stood up, looking at him straight in the eye. 'I wonder if she knows…' He saw her begin to stumble to where their horses were tied. 'She isn't getting away that easy.' He launched forward, but the other girl with the sword saw his movement and came between them. He stepped back, then decided it was time to use magic. Shoaran, who had caught onto his plan, stepped back, just as a precaution. The black hair girl ignored him and used her own small knife she was carrying to cut the ropes away from the horse. "Sakura!" She cried. The sword girl, Sakura, gave one last uneasy look at him and rushed to her friend's side. 

"Freeze." He whispered, and watched with gentle amusement as ice grew around him, heading in the general direction of the two girls. 'They can't get away if they are frozen.' 

"Sakura, get on the horse." Tomoyo commanded.

"What?"

"Get on the horse. Quickly, before that weird boy tries to attack us." As if on cue, a bright light flashed from his staff and what appeared to be ice shot at them. Sakura did what she was asked and reached down with one hand to help Tomoyo up. Tomoyo smiled sadly at her. If they both went, they would follow. But if she stayed and they believed she was the one they were looking for, then… then they wouldn't follow Sakura. She brought up her hand, but instead of taking Sakura's, she firmly slapped the horses flank. He reared in surprise and fled into the forest, just as the ice reached Tomoyo. "Sakura, get my uncle to bring help!" She called, hoping that one of the boys would believe that she was Takse's niece. The ice wrapped itself around her legs and continued its freezing grip until her entire body was frozen.

Sakura could only cling to the reins, her head bent low to avoid the stinging slaps of branches rushing by her. "Sakura, get my uncle to bring help!" Tomoyo called, as she disappeared from view. Sakura, despite her situation, could only wonder about her words. What was Tomoyo talking about? Tomoyo had no uncle. Sakura pulled hard on the reins, wishing she knew exactly how to stop a panicked horse. She had to go back and help Tomoyo. She just had to. 

The strange ice attack didn't follow her. It seemed that they were satisfied in capturing Tomoyo. 'Who were they?' She wondered. They had this powerful aura around them. Very similar to the strange feeling she got from the guy in her dream. The horse, beginning to tire, finally slowed, stopping completely in a small clearing. Sakura jumped down and looked around her surroundings in confusion. She had no clue where she was. 'It doesn't matter. I have to go back.' She turned around and picked her way along the horses well defined trail, pausing only to look back once at her horse. "What should I do with you?" She wondered out loud. She hated the idea leaving it in the middle of the forest, but before she could do anything, it started to run again, in the opposite direction. "I hope you find your way home." Sakura whispered and then continued on the path, one hand always on the hilt of her sword.

Eriol stopped the freeze once the girl had been immobilized. "Should I go after the other one?" Shoaran asked.

Eriol shrugged. "I think this one was the girl talking about the pendent. Or at least she has the pendent. And she mentioned for the other one to get her uncle. The uncle she may have been referring to could be…"

"Takse." Shoaran nodded, then sighed. "We are about to become kidnap--" He stopped, eyes widened as the ice around the girl begin to break, spider-like cracks running a long its sides. It shattered, spraying shards of glass-like material all over them. "Damn, what's going on! First sleep and now freeze!" The girl blinked, seeming not to comprehend what happened either.

"It's the pendent!" Eriol realized, watching as the artifact, still clamped firmly in her hand pulse slightly. The girl hesitated no longer and turned to run to the forest. "Hey, wait up! We are not going to hurt you!" He sighed and ran after her and managed to grab the arm holding the dagger, not wanting to risk getting cut. He pulled it sharply, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. He raised up his still glowing staff and pointed it at her, as though daring her to make a move. "Look, we just need to ask you some questions."

She laughed, earning a double blink from both Eriol and Shoaran. She glanced into the woods, as though satisfied her friend got away. "If you wanted to just ask us some questions, I don't think you would have gone to all this trouble." She stated. "Well, I appear to be your captive." She stood up slowly, keeping a wary eye on the Eriol's strange weapon. The dagger was left on the ground, as though announcing her sign of surrender. Eriol narrowed his eyes slightly, not noticeable to anyone who didn't really know him. Why was she giving up so quickly? 

Shoaran came up behind her and quickly tied her hands behind her back. Eriol sighed once again and let his staff return to its original, key shape. The girl's eyes widened. "So, my name is Eriol, and this is Shoaran." He said calmly, even though Shoaran was glaring at him, questioning his decision to share their names. "And yours…?"

The girl smiled. "I am Tomoyo." Shoaran pulled out his sword once again, and glared a little at the girl.

'We are such idiots.' Shoaran thought to himself. 'Now she is going to know that we both have magic AND our names.' Still, he called up wind to carry them into the air. They barely cleared the tops of the trees. Tomoyo looked around in interest, probably never before seeing magic taken placed. 

Tomoyo found these two people to be incredibly amusing. One, Shoaran, was so easy to read when he was frustrated or mad, while the other had a mysterious air about him. They had obviously never done this before, since the knots Shoaran had used when tying her were easy to overcome. She carefully let the ropes remain on her wrists, appearing on the outside to still be tied. It was neat to fly over the trees. She had never seen any magic performed before. Oh, she knew that Clow Reed and his two apprentices could…hmm, what were there names?…and it was suspected that even Sakura's uncle had a little power, but to see it done with her own eyes was truly amazing. They seemed to use the 'staff' and 'sword' as some kind of conductor for their magic. 

She couldn't see the pendent that was still firmly in her hand, but she knew it had a very similar shape. 'I wonder if it can do the same thing?' They slowed when they approached a clearing. Tomoyo immediately spotted a young woman sitting down, peering anxiously in the sky. The person jumped up as they swooped down and then slowed to a stop. "Shoaran!" She yelled, but paused when she saw Tomoyo. "Who's that?" She appeared to be a noblewoman, managing to carry some sort of regal air about her. 

"Um, isn't this Takse niece?" Shoaran asked. Meiling shook her head slowly. Tomoyo smiled even more, realizing her intuition was correct. 

*******

Thanks to the people that HAVE reviewed! I love getting reviews! So, how is the story so far? I hope you enjoyed it!!

Review please!!


	5. Escape!

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS. 

"Well, no matter. She had the pendent." Eriol took the pendent from Tomoyo, then proceeded to tie her up to a tree. "Sorry, but we can't let you escape just yet." Tomoyo tested them when he finished, sighing slightly. The knots were tighter than before and it appeared it would be harder to get them undone. 'But I will.' She thought to herself in determination. Meanwhile, the girl, Meiling glared at him.

"So, it was your fault that you caught the wrong person. I bet Shoaran would have gotten the right one. Right, Shoaran?" She gazed up at Shoaran. He shrugged.

"I never said I was going to kidnap her." He looked over at Tomoyo. "How did you come by this pendent?" He demanded. She simply smiled at him. Like she was going to tell him anything. Meiling glared at her for a moment, then grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her violently.

"Hey!! You are suppose to answer Shoaran's questions!" She screamed. Tomoyo still smiled. She wasn't going to be troubled over this strange girl's aggressive nature. The girl's face turned an angry shade of red as she realized she wasn't having any affect over her. "Shoaran, put magic on her." She commanded, her back turned towards Tomoyo. Tomoyo caught a hint of silver from her side and realized she must be carrying daggers. 'They don't look very secured to her waist…maybe if I…' She began to think, frantically coming up with a plan. 

"But magic didn't work before-" Shoaran began, but Eriol pulled him aside.

"That was because of this pendent. It protected her in some way. Magic should effect her now." Tomoyo's stomach constricted slightly at the thought of some kind of spell being placed directly on her. But, every minute she bought for Sakura meant more time her friend would escape and get help. Still, it should be okay if she caused some trouble. Meiling was the one who gave them the idea to place magic on her, so she figured it would only be fair to extract her revenge on her as well as insure a way to escape. 

None of them were paying much attention to her, so she aimed a swift kick at the back of Meiling knees. It caught perfectly, causing her to land ungracefully onto the ground beside Tomoyo. It also caught Tomoyo herself off-balance and she slid down the tree. She winced as the rough bark scratched at the delicate side of her arms. Just as Tomoyo expected, Meiling, instantly cried out and turned to face Tomoyo, eyes flashing with internal rage. "What was that for!?" She slapped Tomoyo in the face. 

"Meiling!" Shoaran cried. Meiling looked up at him.

"She kicked me! Shoaran, that girl kicked me!!" She cried. Shoaran sighed, but Eriol looked a bit thoughtful.

"Well, we are the kidnappers. It is only fair." He reasoned.

Tomoyo's eyes had instantly teared from the blow, and she lowered her head slightly as though from pain, instead glancing to the dagger that had fallen during Meiling's fall. She moved her leg a few inches, covering up the weapon. Meiling stood up, still glaring. Tomoyo kept direct eye contact with Meiling so she would not suspect anything. 'Now to wait until I can use it…' 

Meiling still shot her angry glances, but the other two had already dismissed what had happen and were already preparing the spell they'd cast on her.

Shoaran suddenly looked at the sun, holding up his sword high over his head. Tomoyo was amazed he didn't go blind. "Sun give me strength. Truth!" He yelled. Tomoyo felt her body being taken over by some strange force. It was as though she was being shoved into the farthest regions of her mind, seeing everything that was going on, but couldn't react to anything around her. She saw the boy tremble slightly as he fell to his knees, panting hard.

"Are you okay?" Meiling ran to his side.

"Yes."

"The Truth is a hard spell to cast." Eriol admitted. He looked into Tomoyo's eyes. "Let's see if it worked. What is your name?" 

"Tomoyo." Tomoyo was surprised to find herself answering. She didn't mean to say anything.

"Where did you get this pendent?" He smiled slightly.

"It's not mine." 'No!' She internally screamed. She didn't want to give anything away.

"And whose is it?" 

"Sakura's"

"Who is Sakura?" Eriol asked, but something in his eyes showed that he already suspected what the answer would be.

"The girl I was with. Takse niece." Eriol and Shoaran exchanged a look.

"Where did she get the pendent?" 

"From her dream." 

They all sweat-dropped. "Erm…dream?" 

"Yes." Tomoyo inwardly sighed. So this was what it was like being under magic. She hoped both of them would be cursed for this. It was horrible telling them everything Sakura had told her. 'They will probably go after her now.' She realized. 'Hopefully she is far enough away.'

"Hmm…" Eriol closed his eyes to think. "One of us will have to go after her." Tomoyo, as usual, had guessed correct.

"I'll go." Shoaran said, standing up. He appeared to have regained his strength in his brief rest.

"But Eriol can go…" Meiling protested, then cocked her head slightly. "No, he would mess everything up again. If you got the right girl like I asked, we wouldn't be in this mess." She glared accusingly at Eriol. She looked to Shoaran, but he was staring at Eriol as their thoughts crossed back to the strange fight earlier.

"She wasn't affected…" Shoaran began.

"Completely not effected. And with no pendent."

"Could she have magic?"

"Perhaps. Her uncle is Takse, after all."

Shoaran sighed. "Which will probably make her some kind of spoiled girl who is use to having everything her way." Tomoyo wish she had the control to slap him. No one could ever say someone as sweet and kind as Sakura to be spoiled. 'I hope HE is doubled cursed.' She decided, and resorted to just glaring at him darkly from inside her mind. He continued, totally unaware of Tomoyo's thought attack. 

"Maybe she knows where Clow is." Eriol contemplated. Tomoyo begin to concentrate on their words. Had King Clow vanished? Why else did they need to know where he was? She began to pull facts together. Maybe they assumed that Sakura's uncle had something to do with the disappearance. Since Sakura was his only living relative, it would make sense for them to come after her. 

Meiling looked between the two of them, her expression becoming more and more confused by the second. "Hey, what are you taking about!?" She cried, but Shoaran was already running into the woods, probably preferring to save his magic in case of emergency. "Jeez, I am being left out of everything!" She complained, then looked at Tomoyo. "Hey, you have to tell the truth now, right?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't Shoaran and I look like the perfect couple?" She said happily.

"I don't know." Tomoyo found herself answering honestly. That was true. She didn't really know either of them very well. Meiling looked a little put out by that comment.

"Of course we are perfect together." She reassured herself, then looked at the dying sun. "Eriol, go get some firewood." She commanded.

"Starting a fire isn't good idea, since we are wanted criminals." He remarked

Meiling glared at him. "I haven't eaten all day and I want some warm food. Those people won't even miss Sakura and this girl yet. I heard that Taske's niece sometimes chose to sleep outside, without even bothering to tell anyone. So, go get some firewood." 

Eriol smiled slightly. "If you insist." He walked out into the woods. 

Meiling began to dig into her bag, pulling out some food and cooking utensils. "Those two came so unprepared. What would they have done without me? Eat bark?" She glanced over at Tomoyo. "Hey, I am still mad at you, girl. Kicking me when my back was turned. How cowardly." Her eyes grew all dreamy as another thought crossed her mind. "Hmmm, I am going to make Shoaran a wonderful meal. He will be so happy." 

Tomoyo watched as Meiling grew oblivious to the world around her and carefully began to concentrate on her own situation. If she put her mind to it, she could lift up a hand, a sure sign that the spell was wearing off. With unbearably slow and restraining movements, she carefully used her leg to slide the dagger towards her hands, keeping a careful eye on Meiling and on the forest. She had to get free before that guy came back. She was pretty sure she could get away from Meiling, but him…no, he was to smart to be easily fooled.

The spell slowly loosened its hold over her and she was able to move with almost complete freedom. Meiling was looking at her items in confusion, apparently not knowing exactly what they were suppose to do. 'I bet she has never cooked for herself before.' She realized with amusement. That was good for Tomoyo, since Meiling was completely absorbed in her task and not paying an ounce of attention to her. Finally, with a slight kick, she managed to get the dagger to her tied hands. She quickly used it to cut herself free, wincing as she cut too far and sliced her hand. 

'I am free.' She thought happily, feeling the ropes slide away. Tomoyo felt around carefully, picking up a stick near the tree, and, with careful aim, launched it into the woods on the other side of the clearing. Meiling looked up at the noise, a bit irritated that something interrupted her thoughts. 

"Eriol? Is that you?" She called, and stood up to investigate the sound. Tomoyo smiled. Now was her chance.

She stood up and ran into the bushy forest behind her, stepping lightly so the sound of her footsteps did not reach unwanted ears. She winced as a tree branch caught the ribbon keeping her hair up and felt it come free. She turned to retrieve it, but hesitated as Meiling's shriek echoed to her ears. "I have no time for this." She whispered and continued to run. The ribbon dangle helplessly on the branch for a moment before being snatched up by a strange figure hidden within the trees.

"She can't get away while I have this." The figure mused.

Shoaran sprinted through the woods, always being one of those naturally fast runners. He had already used so much magic through out the day, he wasn't sure how many more spells he'd be able to cast before he would have to sleep to recover. He leapt into the trees and jumped from branch to branch, easily making up the ground to the clearing. One horse still remained tie to the tree, pawing incisively at the ground. Shoaran sighed and cut the horse loose. He would have ridden it, but horses tend to make noise and he wanted to catch the girl by surprise, not warn her that he was after her. The horse trotted off on a faint trail, looking very sure of where he was going. 

Shoaran looked closely at the path created by the horse the other girl had ridden off in. It was heading even deeper into the woods, opposite of where her home was. 'Good. It'd take her longer to get help. She also didn't seem like much of a rider, so maybe she'll have to go on foot.' He ran to the side of the path, just in case she decided to come back this way.

Sakura was now completely lost. She had been doing so good about staying directly on the tiny trail her horse had made for her, but she lost her concentration on watching the trail for just a second and it was gone. She shivered slightly. She had never gone this deep into the woods before. She sensed many things here, none of them friendly. She felt cold all over. A huge bird leapt out of a tree, blasting off a series of low, haunting sounds. Sakura screamed and dropped to the ground, her hands held protectively over her head. 

Sakura had this immense fear of ghosts, spirits, and monsters. She wasn't sure when it all started, but even the thought of it sent her into a panic attack. And now she was alone, in a strange forest, surrounded by what felt to be forgotten spirits. The only thing that kept her going was the thought that Tomoyo was somewhere out there, kidnapped by those people. 'I have to save her.' She repeated in her mind and walked on.

Shoaran looked up. Did he just hear a scream? He quickly ran towards the sound. It could be someone in need of help, or, it could even be the girl he was looking for.

Tomoyo stopped in mid-run. A shrill scream had just fill the air. 'That is defiantly Sakura's voice.' She thought worriedly. She hurried on, frightened for her friend. She stopped as she heard a figure's footsteps near her own. She ducked under a bush and looked out. 'Sakura?' She wondered. She nodded. She could see her honey brown hair and her nervous expression in the dim light. 'But why is she all the way out here?' She wondered. 'Oh, was she looking for me?' She was a little surprised that she had discovered Sakura before that boy. He had a head start and everything. 'Maybe she got off track.' She shook her head. This was no time to be wondering about that. She opened her mouth to call and get her friend's attention.

Sakura inched on nervously forward. The night was now closing in and the fearful presence seemed to have only increased. Suddenly the bushes near her began to shake and a strange, shadowed creature jumped toward her, calling out something. Its warm hand grasped her wrist tightly. Sakura did the only thing she could do. She panicked, letting off another shrill scream and running in the opposite direction, away from the evil creature. She looked forward and widened her eyes as she saw an actual human. She ducked around behind him, peering over his shoulder at the strange creature that she ran away from. 

"Hey, what are you…" the person began, but by that time, she recognized him as one of the would be kidnappers and leapt back drawing out her sword.

"What have you done with Tomoyo?" She demanded.

********

Sorry it took so long to get out the next chapter, blame it on the combination of Homework and writing on another story =)

Did you like it? I hope so ^_^ I also hope it wasn't too confusing…Thanks to the people that have reviewed!! Sorry if I sound review obsessed, but if you have written a story and posted it, then you can see why getting reviews is such a good thing. So, please review!!!


	6. So Close...

Disclaimer: I don't own any anime, much less CCS.

Shoaran stopped as he heard another scream echo through the woods. A panicked girl scrambled out of the trees. 'That's who I am looking for.' He realized, but by that time, she had ducked behind him and was looking worriedly into the bushes she had just came from. "Hey, what are you…" He began, but she then pushed away from him and pulled out her weapon.

"What have you done with Tomoyo?" She demanded. Suddenly, a long, eerie howl echoed in the air. She shrieked and dropped to the ground in terror. "Stay away from me!!" She called out.

Shoaran wasn't sure what he should do. "Erm…Are you okay?" He asked after a second. Sure he was going to kidnap her, 'Oh, I hate that word…', but she seemed to be completely terrified right now. "Your friend is all right. If you follow me, I will be sure she comes to no harm." He said after a moment.

"Hmm, I believe that would be classified as a threat." Came a strange voice behind him. Shoaran swirled around, one hand holding out his sword. A sudden sharp jab on his head blurred his vision and he felt his world go dark.

"Sorry." Sakura said, after the boy toppled to the ground. She had hid him with the hilt of her sword on the back of his head. 

"Hey, he shouldn't have turned around." The voice came again. Sakura's eyes widened.

"Tomoyo!! Are you okay?" She cried, running to her friend. 

"I am fine." Tomoyo smiled. "I got away." Tomoyo decided not to mention the fact that Sakura's 'ghost' that she had been running away from was actually Tomoyo. 

"Oh, but your hand…" Sakura looked at the cut worriedly.

"This is not really the best time…" Tomoyo motioned to Shoaran, who was already stirring.

"Is it all right to leave him here?"

"He looks like he is about ready to wake up." Tomoyo grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her back into the woods. "Did you come to help me?" She asked.

"Of course." Sakura looked surprised. "I would never abandon my best friend."

"Oh, Sakura is so heroic and brave!" Tomoyo swooned with happiness.

"Ha…ha…not really." Sakura laughed hesitantly as usual embarrassed by her friend's praise. They continued to run through the woods, not quite knowing where they were going, but they knew they were getting farther away from that strange boy and his magic. "Why did they kidnap you?" Sakura questioned as they ran.

"They were actually looking for you." Tomoyo quickly told her everything she had overheard.

"So the king is missing? But what does that have to do with me?" Sakura asked, perplexed by this information.

Tomoyo shrugged. "I guess because you are Takse niece and they seem to also think you posses magic…wait." Tomoyo stopped a serious expression on her face.

"What?" Sakura whispered.

Tomoyo closed her eyes. "That me-means…"

"Yes?" Sakura clung to every word.

"That means you are almost a princess!" Tomoyo stated, a wide grin on her face. Sakura fell on the ground, but Tomoyo twirled around, entrapped by her own visions. "Princess Sakura! I will make you many beautiful gowns when we get back, to celebrate your new found status."

"T-Tomoyo…" Sakura sweat-dropped, but then paused. She had just heard the sharp crackling sound of a twig breaking. In the dark, two glistening eyes stared down at her.

"Blood…" It hissed. "I smell blood…" Tomoyo looked at her still bleeding hand.

"Oh…no…" She whispered. That is when the creature attacked.

Meiling was completely shocked when she saw that Tomoyo was gone. "No!!" She shrieked. She was supposed to be guarding her. That was an unspoken rule; who ever was left alone with the prosoner was suppose to watch them. "Shoaran is going to be so mad at me!" She cried and frantically ran to the tree that had moment before held Tomoyo. There, by the base, sat her dagger. "Dagger?" Suddenly, she flashed back to the surprising kick that girl had dealt her. She swore and stomped her foot in anger. "I bet she was planning this the entire time." She cried. 

"I bet she was too." Said a voice. It was Eriol, walking calmly into the clearing. In his hand was a green ribbon.

"What!! You knew she was planning something the entire time!!" Meiling screamed, one finger pointing over dramatically toward Eriol. "This is all your fault!!" Eriol shrugged.

"She won't get far." He looked at the ribbon. "Unfortunately, we can't let her get away, since she knows our names and the fact that we can do magic. If she tells someone who works with the court, they will know instantly who we are." Meiling just looked at him like he was crazy.

"The farther she gets away, the harder it will be to find her." She glared. "So, go look for her."

"Oh, but it wouldn't be fair unless she got a head start." Eriol smiled as another surge of anger flashed in Meiling's eyes.

"You are enjoying this, aren't you?" She accused. Eriol sat down and pulled out his pendent.

"I can find any person as long as I have something of theirs, just as Shoaran can." He explained to Meiling. He then placed the ribbon on the ground and held the artifact over it, concentrating on the girl who had just ran off. He carefully pictured her dark hair and calm eyes. After a moments wait, he felt the pendent pull him in a certain direction. He stood up. "Let's go." 

Meiling looked at him as he walked out of the clearing, and back to their belongings. If she gathered up her stuff, she would get lost trying to find him. But if she just left them here, who knows if they would still be here when she returned. "Wait up!!" She screamed, curiosity overcoming her logic. She sprinted after him, panting as she finally drew even with the apprentice. "I am coming too." She said.

They walked into the forest for awhile, following Eriol's pendent. "Hey, isn't that…" Meiling stopped as she saw a figure pulling himself up in a small clear. "Shoaran!" She cried, running over to the boy. Eriol watched as he stood up, and winced, clutching a part of his head. "Shoaran, are you okay?" Meiling's eyes filled with distress.

"I'm fine." He said slowly. "Just bruised."

"What happen?" She asked, gripping one of Shoaran's hands. 

"Nothing." He said, then quickly looked at Eriol. "Where's the other girl?" 

"Eriol let her get away." Meiling claimed, glaring back at Eriol. Eriol simply smiled.

"I believe that you were the one in the clearing. I went to get firewood." He said calmly.

"Firewood you never got." She spat. "And you even told me how you suspected she'd try to get away, AFTER she got away." She grabbed Shoaran's arm. "It was awful without you there." She finished, looking at him, who just sighed in response.

"You are tracking her, right?" Shoaran asked. Eriol nodded. "Then lets go. It is starting to get dark and that is when the monsters begin to come out." Meiling blinked.

"Bu-but we stayed here last night and didn't see anything." She protested. Shoaran shook his head.

"It was safe over there, but here…" He looked at the trees and the growing shadows. "Here I can feel something other than just the forest."

"M-monster?" Shuddered Meiling, but then she frowned and pulled on her determined look. "Lets go. I know Shoaran and I can take care of any monsters we come across." 

Eriol looked at Shoaran, a small smile playing on his lips. 'He probably got knocked out by one of those girls and doesn't want to admit it,' he realized, watching as Shoaran again placed a hand on his head. 'His pride is probably wounded, even though he didn't want to kidnap either of them.' He laughed internally. Shoaran looked at him, glaring darkly.

"What's with you?" He snapped.

"Oh, nothing. We better go, or Meiling is going to get lost. She is heading in the wrong direction." 

Shoaran was a bit angry that the girl he was trying to capture got away. It wasn't really the fact that she had gotten away, but how she had. 'She hit me over the head when I wasn't looking. I should have been paying more attention.' He inwardly cursed. That is when he heard the screams. It was two of them now, one similar to the one he had heard before and the other one, if he was assuming correctly, the girl who had escaped. 

Eriol and him exchanged a look as Meiling looked frighteningly towards the trees where the sound had came from. "Stay behind us." Shoaran commanded. She nodded. They rushed forward and stopped, seeing both of the people they were looking for desperately fighting off some sort of horrific creature. 

It was three times their size with massive, yellow eyes and long, dagger teeth. It was in the shape of a wolf, except for its serpentine tail that he swished around like a whip behind him, uprooting several trees and clearing away bushes. He definitely did not look like a nice guy. The two girls were trying to fight it off, or at least the girl who had hit him over the head was. The other on was weaponless and was resorting to throwing anything she could get her hands on at the creature with alarming accuracy. 

"I guess we had better help." Eriol said, gripping his pendent tighter. Shoaran nodded and let his medallion grow into the silver sword.

Sakura and Tomoyo shrieked as the creature charged at them. They ducked as it soared over their heads and landed lightly behind them. It was gigantic and scary looking, with a mouth wide enough to gulp them both down with one bite. "It's too fast!" Sakura cried. "We can't out run it." The monster looked at them, its eyes settling on Tomoyo. 

"Blood." It hissed. 

"This is my fault!" Tomoyo yelled. "He is attracted to the cut I got. He is probably part vampire." Sakura nodded and unconsciously stepped in front of her friend, her sword held threateningly before her. Inside, she was shaking with fear. She hated monsters and this one could have easily just walked out of one of her worst nightmares.

"We-we have to fight." She stuttered. The monster growled and then charged at them again, claws and fangs outstretched. Sakura and Tomoyo barely dodged, rolling into a nearby bush. They quickly got up, this time Tomoyo picking up spare items off the ground and throwing them at the monster.

"Sorry, I have no weapons." She said. Sakura nodded and poised again at the creature. She jumped up and swung her sword at its face, catching it hard on its nose. The creatures tough skin just shrugged off her blow and then it leapt back, fangs glistening in the moonlight. Its eyes flashed at her and it's tail whipped out around her before she could react.

Sakura found herself suddenly high in the air, being swung around by the creature's tail. 'I can't breathe.' She thought as the tail tightened its grip around her. The world spun in her eyes. 

"Sakura!" Tomoyo shouted, running over to help her friend. Sakura felt faint as the crushing power continued to overtake her. The monster laughed, and casually rammed Tomoyo aside with one flick of his paw. Suddenly, the creature stopped, its hold over Sakura loosening. She slipped out of it grasp and saw the trees rush past her. Sakura landed surprisingly softly into someone's arms. She closed her eyes. The world still spun around her and her blood pounded in her ears. It wasn't too surprising that she blacked out only a moment later.

*******

Thank you for the reviews! ^_^ hmmm, is this a cliff hanger? I don't know. Anyway, I appreciate your feedback and will try to get the next chapter posted soon! I hope you enjoyed reading!

Review!


	7. Enemies?

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. 

Sakura awoke up later with a pounding headache. She didn't open her eyes, but just listened to the faint muttering of people talking and the soft crackle of a nearby fire. "Is she dead or something?" A voice whined in her ears, breaking Sakura's peaceful thoughts. "I am tired of watching her." 

"No, she isn't dead." Came another voice. Sakura barley opened one eye, looking around in shock at the people who had tried to capture her and Tomoyo before. 'Or managed to finally capture.' She thought wryly. She wondered if she should pretend to still be unconscious and try to escape or show that she was actually awake. 

"Here." Tomoyo's familiar voice came into her ears. 'Oh, no, Tomoyo was captured as well.' She realized. "Sakura, you can have some too." Tomoyo called to her friend.

"You idiot, she is unconscious or sleeping or something." The girl who had first spoken rang out. A boy with dark bluish black hair smiled calmly.

"No, she has been awake for awhile now." Sakura shot her eyes open. 'How did both he and Tomoyo know that I was awake?' She wondered. One girl with ruby eyes snorted in annoyance. Tomoyo walked over and handed her some food.

"It is actually really good." She said, placing it into Sakura's hands as Sakura sat up.

"But, uh…" She looked around the group in confusion. Weren't these guys enemies? Tomoyo smiled.

"These people saved our lives back there and haven't done anything to hurt us. Unless we want to risk going back into the forest by our selves again, I think we can temporarily trust them." Sakura looked around the fire. "Oh, this is Eriol," Tomoyo said, gesturing to the dark headed boy by the fire. "And this is Meiling." She pointed to the ruby-eyed girl, who just glared up at her. "The other one, Shoaran, went into the woods to find a stream and get some water." Sakura nodded. That must be the boy she…er…knocked out.

"I thought these were suppose to be our prisoners." Meiling scowled. "And here they are, eating the food I brought, sitting by the fire I made, and not even tied up. They are like people we have just invited to have dinner with or something." 

"We took away their weapons." Eriol commented. "And we have already seen that they need help to get out of the woods at night. I don't think they'll try to escape, at least right now." Sakura blinked. Even though Tomoyo had mentioned it before, it finally clicked that they had saved their lives. Her life. 'They can't be that bad.' She realized.

"Thank you." She told him. He grinned a bit at her. 

"It is Shoaran you should be thanking. He put that monster to sleep." He said.

"And caught you before you splattered against the ground." Meiling added, looking very proud, as though it was her who had been the person to catch her.

"I only lead him to you." Eriol finished, but his eyes were on Tomoyo.

"Oh, that is what I have been meaning to ask." Tomoyo looked at him questioningly. "How were you able to find us?" He casually held up the green ribbon.

"You forgot this. It is pretty easy to track some one if you are a sorcerer and have an item from the person you are searching for." He looked over at Sakura. "I have some questions I need to ask you, but lets wait until Shoaran gets back." Just as the words left his mouth, another young man walked into their small camp, carrying a flask of water.

"Your awake." He stated looking at Sakura. He appeared to be slightly angry with her. 

"Um, thank you for saving my life." She stammered, not liking the glare in his eye. "And sorry about before." He shrugged. Meiling looked between them.

"What happened before?" She asked, her voice having just a tinge of jealously. 

"I kind of hit him over the head with my sword." Sakura admitted. Eriol and Tomoyo both stifled the laughter that threatened to escape them. Meiling ran over to Sakura and gripped her shoulders.

"You what!!!??" She shrieked. 

"I am sorry! You were trying to kidnap me and I was wanting to save Tomoyo!" She said.

"Meiling, it is all right. We still managed to capture them." Shoaran said, appearing to be a little mollified by Sakura's apology. Meiling backed away, releasing Sakura, who then rubbed her shoulders. Shoaran turned to Sakura. "How is it that you got the pendent!?"

"Hmm, he certainly likes to get to the point." Tomoyo commented. Eriol nodded.

"What?" Sakura looked at him in bewilderment. "Pendent?" 

"And how is it that you were not effected by our magic?" He demanded. Eriol sighed and withdrew the pendent he still carried in his pocket.

"Magic?" Sakura asked again, but then saw the pendent Eriol held up. "Oh, you mean that strange thing? I uh…" She stopped slightly embarrassed.

"From a dream, right?" Eriol asked patiently. Sakura's eyes widened. "Tomoyo, uh, reluctantly told us." He admitted. "She was under the truth spell. What was the dream about?" Sakura hesitated. She wasn't sure whether or not the dream she had was important, but she didn't trust them enough to tell them the actual truth.

"I had a dream where I was…uh…little and playing with the pet dog I use to have." She said, trying to sound convincing. Tomoyo smiled a bit, finding this quite amusing. "Then I was given the pendent by a…a…erm…farmer." She choked a bit. Farmer? What had she been thinking?

"So a farmer gave you this pendent?" Eriol said calmly. Tomoyo, sitting quietly in the background, sweat-drop. "I believe that your friend here told me differently."

"Oh, um…really?" Sakura asked, laughing slightly. "She told you about the mysterious robed per-" She slapped her hand against her mouth. By the expression on their faces, they obviously had not known that. "Whoops. Um, I mean a magnificent farmer with a globe and working in the fields…and…and… a dog…" She finished, trying to sound calm and authoritative. Tomoyo smiled. 

"So, you were lying then!" Meiling looked over to Shoaran. "Shoaran, its time for the Truth spell."

"No, Meiling, it isn't." Shoaran replied. 

"Why not? It worked before!" Meiling pouted. This argument continued for the next few minutes.

Meanwhile, Sakura was looking very embarrassed. "How did you know that I was lying? It might have been the truth." She said. "But then again, you already knew about my dream, so…"

"Well, actually Tomoyo never did tell us a different story. You did that all on your own." Eriol commented. Tomoyo grinned and nodded in agreement. "Will you tell us the truth now?" Sakura looked to Tomoyo for advice. Tomoyo once again nodded.

'This could end up being interesting.' Tomoyo thought to herself. She didn't think these people were bad and she would hate to see Sakura lie again. Well attempt to lie anyway.

Shoaran and Meiling stopped arguing as Sakura started to speak.

"Well," Sakura began. "I was dreaming about my-my…families…" She choked slightly, not wanting to cry, but a few tears still running down her face. "My families death." She said quietly. Tomoyo looked at her in worry and the others looked at her in some concern; well, all but Meiling, was glaring at Shoaran, since he had won the fight. "Then, a man appeared, talking about how I could help him and this land and about unawakened power. He gave me this." She said, her voice growing stronger towards the end. "And mentioned that his…his…" Her mind drew a blank. "Well, he mentioned that someone could help me." She finished.

Eriol looked thoughtful. "Hmm, did you feel any kind of presence around him?" Sakura thought for a moment.

"Yes, I felt something similar to what I felt when you performed that magic earlier." She answered. Eriol and Shoaran exchanged a look. 

"Did he happen to have long black hair, glasses, and wear blue robes." Sakura gaped and nodded. "Then that was probably Clow Reed." 

"What! The king!?" Sakura asked, astonished by the idea.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why would Clow Reed go to a mere girl, Taske's niece as a matter a fact, and not to us?" Shoaran growled. Sakura glared at him.

"What does it matter that I am Taske's niece?" She demanded.

"We believe Taske kidnapped Clow Reed." Sakura blinked. 

"Th-that's impossible. My uncle would never do something like that." She declared. "He took me in when my family died and has been like a father to me." 

"Maybe it wasn't Taske." Eriol amended. "But Clow is gone and in his last moments, he spoke to you. That must mean that you are important." Shoaran looked away. He still seemed to believe this had to be a mistake.

"He showed me where he was." Sakura said thoughtfully. 

"What!" Shoaran cried. 

"It was by two mountains." Sakura added.

"You idiot! Why didn't you mention that before?" Meiling screamed.

"Well, I forgot." She smiled sheepishly. "So, why did you kidnap us?" Sakura suddenly demanded.

"We thought that we could use you to get information from Taske." Meiling declared. "It was my idea. Taske will probably tell us something to have you returned."

"He won't be able to tell you anything because he had nothing to do with this." Sakura protested.

"And we heard you talk about your dream and the pendant. We believed it might be connected. And we were right." Eriol said.

Sakura glanced at the people around the fire. "Now that you know where Clow is, can you let us go? We won't tell anyone that we saw you here." She asked.

Eriol shook his head. "It appears that you play some role in all of this. I think we are the people Clow talked about to help you find him and save this land."

"Who exactly are you?" Sakura wondered. She was getting the idea that they were not average people.

"Shoaran and I are Clow's apprentices. And heirs, if we find him." Sakura and Tomoyo both blinked.

"But why are you here? Shouldn't you be gathering an army to search for Clow, not bothering two noblewomen walking in the woods?" Tomoyo asked.

"We are wanted criminals." Shoaran answered. "They believe that we are responsible for the disappearance of Clow." Tomoyo nodded in understanding, then looked at Sakura.

"Should we help them?" Sakura thought quickly. They seemed to be honestly in search of Clow and they also believed that she could help. Well, at least Eriol did. The other two seemed to think the idea of her being able to help as ridiculous. But, if she did help them find Clow, then she could prove her uncle's innocence as well as, how they put it, 'save the land.' She nodded.

"I'll help." She said.

"You didn't have much of a choice." Shoaran said. "We would have forced you to come if you had refused." Sakura frowned at him. Was he still mad at her about before? Really, he needed to let it go.

"But you can go back. It might be dangerous." Eriol looked at Tomoyo, who simply smiled and shook her head.

"I go where Sakura goes." She answered.

*******

So, what so you think? Thank all of you for the reviews! You are all so encouraging! I hope you liked this--I know that Shoaran and Sakura's relationship is starting slow, but it will be an S&S and T&E ^_^ Please review!!


	8. Sakura's Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

"Here you go." Eriol placed the pink pendent into Sakura's hands. "Clow Reed gave this to you, so it's yours." Sakura nodded and stared at the strange object.

"But why was I given this?" She asked.

"You must have some magic." Eriol told her. 

"Magic? I never used magic before…" Sakura looked at him in surprise. "So this'll grow into something similar to what you have?" She questioned. "How does it work?"

"It takes weeks of practice." Shoaran scorned. "You can't just wave it and suddenly be able to perform spells." 

"What you are carrying takes the magic you have and then transforms it into what you want it to do. The stronger power the person has, the stronger the spell. And it also depends whether you are more apt at night or day magic." Eriol explained. "I happen to rely more on the moon for my power, so I work best at night, but since Shoaran works better with the sun, he works best during the day." Sakura nodded and gripped her artifact closer to her.

"How do I activate it?" She asked. 

"As Shoaran said, it can take weeks of practice. You have to learn how to put you magic through the pendent." Eriol said. "Try focusing on it." Sakura nodded and closed her eyes in concentration.

"It takes practice." Tomoyo reassured her friend as they looked at the still tiny pendent. Sakura sighed and set it on the ground, then looked over to Eriol, who had pulled out a small mirror and was whispering some words over it. His pendent was floating above the mirror, turning around in slow circles. After a moment, he sat the mirror on his ground and stuck his hand over it. The mirror swirled until it became a deep-set black. 

"See, I am best with magic at night." He explained. "Shoaran, stick your hand over the mirror now." He said. Shoaran reluctantly placed his hand over the mirror. He didn't appear to like being ordered around. The mirror responded by turning into an equally dark orange. "Shoaran deals with the sun for his magic. The shade of color also shows how much power the person carries. The darker the color, the more powerful the person." He looked at Sakura. "Now you." Sakura looked at her hand and then nervously stuck it over the mirror. The mirror faded until all it showed was Sakura's reflection. "This is odd." Eriol remarked. "Meiling…" He looked up at Meiling, who was sitting on the ground, a little bored by all this magic talk.

"You just want to rub it in that I have no magic." She complained, but stuck her hand over the mirror. It immediately turned to white. As soon as she took her hand away, Tomoyo looked questioningly at Eriol, who nodded, understanding her question. She placed her hand over the mirror. It turned to a slight shade of gray. Not very significant, but it earned a glare from Meiling.

"Well, it seems like you had enough to be protected by the pendent earlier." Eriol remarked. "And your magic works best at night as well."

"Um…why did it turn back to normal for me?" Sakura asked after a moment.

"I don't know. If you have no magic, it should turn to white…but it gave no reaction for you." He thought for a moment. Sakura again stuck her hand over the mirror, but it still went back to being an ordinary mirror. "I wonder if there is something blocking your magic…" He looked at Shoaran, who just grimaced.

"Fine." He took out his pendent and allowed it to grow into the sword. "It'll be a little harder since it is dark…" He murmured, then placed the blade on Sakura's shoulder. She gulped, realizing how close it was to her neck. He closed his eyes in concentration.

"I don't see why testing this girls magic is so important." Meiling stated, but still looked on in interest.

"What is he doing?" Tomoyo whispered.

"He is searching to see if there is some kind of spell stopping her magic. It there is, It would prevent her from consciously using her magic, which is probably why she can't activate her pendent and doesn't respond to the mirror." He whispered back. Tomoyo nodded and continued to watch.

Sakura stood as still as she could, hoping that Shoaran would hurry up and removed the sword from her shoulder. Not only did the edge look very sharp--it was also a little heavy. She sighed in relief as he opened his eyes and let the sword melt back into its original golden medallion. He then sunk to the ground, one hand on the earth to prevent him from falling over.

"Are you all right?" Sakura dropped down beside him and looked worriedly into his eyes. 

"Yah." He muttered, still breathing hard. Sakura reached out to help him up when Meiling took a flying leap over and pushed Sakura aside.

"Hey!" Sakura said in surprise, and was even more shocked at the glare Meiling gave to her.

"Shoaran are you okay?" She asked then looked back at Sakura. "I'm watching you." Sakura stood up, looking very confused.

"I'm fine." Shoaran said again and stood up as well. "I told you that it'd be harder at night." He said to them all, then shrugged. "There's something blocking her magic." He said and looked towards Eriol. "I think it is direct, not indirect." 

"Really?" Sakura asked and looked down at herself, as though trying to see what it was that was blocking her. "I don't feel anything…"

"Of course not, idiot." Meiling said primly. She stood up and managed to look like she has had a lot of experience with these kinds of things. "It just blocks your magic and you could have had it since the day you were born, so you'd never notice. 

Tomoyo smiled and calmly asked, "What do you mean by direct and indirect?" 

"Shoaran thinks that Sakura is wearing something that is stopping her magic." Eriol told her. "Indirect is where a spell was cast directly onto her. Indirect is harder to remove, but its strength is weaker. Direct is easier to remove, but its effects on blocking the magic are much stronger."

Tomoyo circled Sakura slowly, Sakura as usual, was feeling a little embarrassed by all this attention. "It would probably be something she'd never take off." Shoaran told them. 

Sakura tried to think. The only thing that she never took off was her mother's silver ring…ring? She looked at it carefully. She had almost forgotten she even had it. Her mother had given it to her just days before…the accident. It was the only thing she had left of her…

"Sakura?" Tomoyo looked at her worriedly. Sakura almost fell to the ground, realizing that she had been lost in thought. 

"Could it be this?" She asked, showing the ring to Shoaran.

"It could be anything." He said, but looked at the ring on her finger. Sakura took it off…and almost immediately both Shoaran and Eriol visibly took a step back in shock.

"What's wrong with you?" Meiling asked, then glared at Sakura. "Stop whatever you're doing."

"I'm not doing anything." Sakura protested. Even Tomoyo looked a little startled about something. 

"Put the ring back on!" Shoaran yelled. Sakura held out the ring and placed it back on her finger. The two apprentices breathed a sigh of relief.

"It just takes a little getting use to." Eriol told Sakura. Shoaran frowned a little.

"Why does this girl have all this magic?" He demanded quietly.

"Um…what just happened?" Sakura asked. She still had no idea what just went on.

"Your aura is very…commanding." Eriol said thoughtfully. 

"Loud." Shoaran said. "Anyone with a bit of magic can sense it." He told her. 

"Oh…" Sakura didn't know what to think. "Was it really that noticeable?" She asked. Everyone but Meiling nodded.

"I can't sense it as much as those two, but it definitely woke me up…" Tomoyo smiled. "Now, you are an almost princess magic user!" Sakura watched as her friend sighed with happiness.

Eriol smiled a bit as he realized something. "Sakura, will you put back on your pendent? Around your neck or holding it will be just fine." Sakura did as he asked.

"Now what?" She asked him. 

"Remove the ring again." 

"Are you sure?" She cast a worried look around everyone. Eriol nodded. She slipped the ring off her finger, watching as the two apprentices tensed up, as though expecting her 'loud aura' again. This time, they just sighed in relief.

"As I thought, the pendent is taking in the magic." 

"It's quieter." Shoaran said to Meiling. Tomoyo gestured to the mirror still lying on the ground.

"Try it." She said with a smile. Everyone watched as Sakura took a hesitant step forward. She hated to be in the center of attention, so she quickly stuck her hand over the magical artifact. The mirror swirled and a dark color appeared. The color seemed to be changing, shifting from dark blue to dark green to dark orange, and so on. 

"That's odd." Eriol remarked. "It looks like you do best in the morning, during the day, at night, in the evening; pretty much anytime will do."

"You mean that she gets her power from the moon and the sun?" Demanded Shoaran. Eriol nodded.

"I think she also gets it from the very earth and from the stars." He said calmly. "Its very strong." 

"Is that good?" Sakura asked after a minute, taking her hand away from the mirror. Eriol smiled at her.

"Yes. It means you're not limited to when you can cast spells and you can learn many different types."

"But Shoaran is still stronger, right?" Meiling asked.

"Right now, yes, considering that she can't even cast a spell." Eriol said thoughtfully. "I think I can see, though, why Clow went to her and not to us." He looked up at the dark night. "It's getting late. I think we'd better continue all of this tomorrow…" He suddenly grew thoughtful as he recalled what had been earlier said. "Two mountains…you're sure there were just two mountains, not one or three?" It took a second for Sakura to realize what he was talking about, but then nodded. "The only twin mountains I know of are east of here, at the edge of Clow's kingdom. The mountains and the land around it actually belong to a group of people who are considered not part of our kingdom, but they still call their territory Caleymeint." 

"Then we'll head that way in the morning." Shoaran announced.

"You're so smart!" Meiling cried.

"It was Eriol's idea." Shoaran told her, but she didn't seem to care.

"Well, since he has made so many mistakes, all his ideas are considered yours." Meiling glared at Eriol, who just smiled back at her. "It's time to sleep." She said. "Who's going to take watch first?" 

"I think we should watch in groups." Eriol commented. "I will go with Tomoyo and Shoaran, Sakura, and Meiling can take another watch. It seems that this forest is a bit dangerous at night, so this way we can be sure we are protected." 

"Why can't Sakura go with you and I can go alone with Shoaran?" Meiling protested.

"There are three of you, so you have more eyes to look around. Tomoyo and I are only two people, but my magic is strongest at night and she seems to be a bit more observant you, so I believe that it'll be fair." He said calmly.

"Well if you want to look at it logically…" Meiling sniffed. "Fine. But we get first watch then." She demanded. 

"It you want first watch, then have it." Eriol smiled.

"Okay. You, girl, go over there. Shoaran and I will watch from over here." She pulled Shoaran to a tree and he followed reluctantly.

Tomoyo and Sakura both turned to Eriol questioningly. "Oh, Meiling and Shoaran are engaged." Eriol said. Tomoyo nodded. That explained many things. 

Sakura walked over to where Meiling had pointed and attempted to get comfortable against the harsh bark of the tree. She looked at the ring lying innocently on her hand. 'Why would my mother give this to me?' She wondered. 'Why does it block my magic? Was I not suppose to use magic? But these people…for some reason they think that I can help…and I have to prove that my uncle isn't the kidnapper.' She thought determinedly, then slipped the ring in her pocket and looked around the woods. It was so peaceful, carefully hiding all the terrors of the night. It made her a little sleepy, but she refused to go to sleep. 

"Hey, Meiling?" She heard Shoaran's voice. She looked over to see that Meiling had fallen to sleep herself. Shoaran looked up at her, realizing he was being watched. Sakura motioned for him to let Meiling sleep. He looked at the sleeping girl and sighed before walking over to Sakura. 

"I don't want to accidentally wake her up." He said as he sat down beside her. Sakura nodded.

"Hey, how long has Clow Reed been gone?" She asked, trying to break the stifling silence that began to surround them.

"Just a few days." 

"Oh." Sakura looked around her, making sure that all was clear. "Sorry again." She said.

"For what?" She motioned towards his head. "Oh, just forget it. Stop apologizing." He told her.

"Okay." She leaned back against the tree. "So, do you live with King Clow?" She asked, again trying to make conversation. He nodded. "Don't you miss your family?" 

"I don't have any." Sakura winced as he said this, realizing her mistake.

"I am really sorry." She said instantly. "I didn't know…"

"They've been dead for a long time. I hardly remember them." 

"But still…family…my family died a long time ago to, but I could never forget them…" Sakura couldn't help feel herself grow sad. "All I have is my uncle." She said. "And Tomoyo. She is like sister to me." 

"What will happen if your uncle is the kidnapper?" He asked suddenly.

"He isn't!" She cried back, then slapped one hand over her mouth in embarrassment. "Heh, heh, at least I don't think so. I'll find out who kidnapped him, and then he'll be innocent, right?" She asked him. Shoaran shrugged. "Do you really think it was my uncle?" 

"Do you really want me to answer that?" He asked back. She cringed and shook her head. 

"I think I'd rather just prove that he's not." She said determinedly.

"What are you two doing?" Came a voice over their heads. Sakura blinked and looked up, seeing Meiling's ruby eyes staring down at her. "Shoaran!" She wined. "Why are you over here? I thought you were going to stand watch with me."

"You fell asleep."

"I did not!" She shouted.

"I thought you did too." Sakura said, meaning to be helpful, but the glare that Meiling gave her made her wish that she hadn't said anything.

"And you better not stay around my Shoaran." She told her. "He's mine, and won't let you take him away." She dragged him off. "Let go."

"Um…take him away?" Sakura was very confused, but then realized what Meiling meant and blushed furiously. "Um…we just met!" She yelled helpfully, but heard Meiling yell something-incomprehensible back. Sakura sighed as she was left all alone again. 'Oh well.' She crossed her arms and looked into the forest…and a strange cry echoed through the air. Sakura covered her ears and ran to where Meiling and Shoaran were sitting, screaming. 

"What is with you?" Meiling asked. "I told you to stay over there, not come over here, idiot."

"Th-there's so-something out there." Sakura said, her voice shaking.

"Are you scared?" Meiling asked, her voice a little mocking as well as incredulous. 

"Yes!" Sakura cried.

"Um…oh." Meiling didn't seem to think that she was going to openly admit it.

"Is it okay if I stay over here?" Sakura asked pleadingly.

"No--" Meiling began, but Shoaran interrupted her. 

"Yes."

"Hey, but she's--" 

"Scared."

"I guess you're right." Meiling said reluctantly. 

"Thank you!" Sakura cried and gave Shoaran a hug. She saw Meiling freeze and realized that this was probably a mistake. "Sorry, I was just really happy." She said, sitting down beside them. Meiling placed her arms around Shoaran, who just looked uncomfortable.

"Shoaran and I are engaged." She told her. Sakura nodded.

"That's what Eriol said." She smiled. "That is so great! It must be wonderful to fall in love and get married!" Meiling sighed in happiness.

"It will be, won't it Shoaran?" He sighed, but his didn't sound exactly happy. Meiling pouted.

They sat in silence for awhile, actually keeping watch until it grew near to when they'd have to wake up Tomoyo and Eriol. Sakura was still trying to make sense of everything that had happened today--or yesterday since she guessed it was very early morning. To her this had to be one of the longest days of her life. 

"Thanks." She told Shoaran suddenly.

"What?" He asked. Meiling had fallen asleep again. It seemed that she wasn't use to staying on guard. 

"For saving my life and then letting me sit by both of you when I was scared." She said honestly. 

"Why were you scared?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know. Ghosts, monsters, anything that can't really be explained scares me." She told him, a little embarrassed. "I can't help it."

"Oh." 

"Is it time to wake them?" She asked.

"Almost."

"Hmm." She jumped up suddenly in excitement as something caught her eye. "Wow!"

"What's wrong?" He demanded. Sakura pointed to a little firefly flying across the small camp.

"It's so pretty." She cried, not noticing that Shoaran was giving her a strange look.

"Oh." He settled back on the ground. Sakura, on the other hand, followed the firefly around, hardly helping herself. Little things like that always caught her attention. She watched sadly as it flew away.

"Bye." She said, then realized how immature she must have seemed and sat back down, laughing nervously. "I rarely see fireflies. They don't come to near to where I live." She said. 

"It's time to wake them." He said suddenly. It didn't seem like her ramblings bothered him, so she didn't feel so bad. 

"Okay." She watched as he nudged awake Eriol with the tip of his shoe. She went over to Tomoyo, but didn't really have the heart to wake her, even if she was growing tired herself. "Um…" She whispered quietly. "Your watch." She saw Tomoyo remain asleep. 

"You'll never wake her like that." It was Meiling, awake once again. Meiling bent down and yelled in Tomoyo's ear. "Wake up!" Tomoyo sat straight up and yawned.

"But she was asleep…" Sakura said, though she smiled gratefully to Meiling.

"Now she isn't." Meiling said. "Your watch." The last comment was directed to an already bright-eyed Tomoyo.

"Okay." Tomoyo smiled. "Goodnight." Sakura crawled under her covers and soon was overcome by the pleasant state of sleep.

******

Sorry it took so long to get out! I was having bad writers block and then also working on my other fan fic *sigh* 

I hope it was interesting ^_^ Thank you for all the reviews!   
  
Please REVIEW!


	9. The blue stone and one big spider

Disclaimer: I am not the owner of CCS

The next day, the little band began their walk to the mountains. That got Meiling a little mad, since she didn't want to walk. She wanted Shoaran to use his magic and take them there instantly. "I told you, my magic could barely support three, and now we have five." Shoaran sounded a little irritated.

"But how come Eriol can't use his magic too!?" She cried. 

"I only have a spell that'd let me fly." Eriol smiled at Meiling's distress.

"Isn't it far!" She demanded. 

"Yes." Shoaran told her.

"Oh…" Meiling grumbled.

"Are you getting tired already?" Tomoyo asked calmly, with a faint smile on her lips.

"Of course not! I'm perfectly fine!" Meiling yelled, then took Shoaran's hand. "Shoaran and I can handle the distance. I was worrying about you all." 

Sakura ran a little ways forward, and stopped. "Meiling is right, though. The mountains are really far away." She looked a little downcast. "You guys could probably get there in no time if you didn't have to worry about Tomoyo and me."

"Something ought to turn up." Eriol said kindly. "We need you to come, so there was no way around this." Tomoyo nodded in agreement. "Right, Shoaran?" He nodded.

"Then lets get going!" Meiling yelled, shooting a determined look at Tomoyo. 

Taske sat on the throne, feeling the power that he had so long wanted to possess. But…it was not enough. He clenched one hand tightly. The two annoying apprentices had done exactly what he had expected. They left looking for their 'master' like ones own dog would. This only helped him. The entire council had deemed the two to be captured and questioned for their actions--not quite traitors, but close enough. And they had given him the crown until Clow could be found. Of course, now his niece and her friend had disappeared. Taske didn't have to think to hard to realize they probably had been kidnapped by Shoaran and Eriol, who be expecting to receive information in exchange for his niece. After all, he was the over protective uncle…at least that's what he let other people assume. 

He kept himself at a distance from other people. Reserved is what his mother called him, but there was more to it than that. He believed relying too much on people, including families, would only bring you down in the world. He wouldn't let simple personal relationships get in the way for his quest for power. For control. To him, these were the only things that mattered. As for his niece…he only kept her because he had thought she would prove to be useful…especially after her family died…but, he must had been mistaken. 

The apprentices will soon learn, however, that he'd never give them any information. Taske--no King Taske--almost smiled, but a thought quickly replaced it with a frown.

'One kingdom is not enough. One land is not enough. I will become the strongest. I must have the Blue Stone.' He stood up and walked out the room, happy by the silence in the halls. The first thing he had done as King was to make sure that everyone loyal to Clow was fired…or had conveniently disappeared. Only those completely under his control could be around. He would not loose this chance.

He signaled to two guards as he passed. They nodded briefly and followed him, each carrying one large bag over one shoulder. Taske sighed a bit in annoyance. 'I hope they didn't accidentally kill them.'

King Taske then approached a wall with an odd marking painting on it. The wall of kings. Only a ruler of the land could pass through the barrier. He place one hand lightly in the center, squinting as a bright light momentarily blinded him. The wall disappeared. He stepped quietly, with only the barest whispers of his ropes betraying his presence, his two loyal guards following closely behind. Stairs wandered blindly into the very depths of the castle and Taske could smell that the place was thick with dust. 'No one has probably been down here for hundreds of years.' He thought slyly. 'No one has the courage…not even the all-powerful Clow. They are all fools.' 

The stairs soon gave way to a black room. Taske simply took the pendent he wore around his neck and concentrated. "Light." He whispered. The room was soon lit with blue lights. Taske's eyes widened as he saw the altar. It was a solid piece of stone lying flat on the dirt-ridden floor. Writing was etched into its side, showing exactly what needed to be done. Taske was ready for this. He knew all about the ritual. He also knew it wouldn't be enough to awaken the stone's power. Still…it would be a start.

"There." He pointed to the alter. The two men opened the two backs, each pulling out a worthless, scrawny little child from the depths of it. The children had been knocked unconscious and were unceremoniously set on the stone. 'Children of moon magic.' He thought to himself. 'Never before awakened their power. Perfect.' Those two had been difficult to find. Clow and Eriol both used moon magic, but Clow was far too old to be considered a child, and Eriol was already pass the age limit, and he already had used his magic. The two on the altar had very little magic, but it was strong enough to do the job. It was the second step that worried him.

King Taske raised his pendent and allowed it to transform into a lightweight battle-ax. He would need his full power for this. Taske muttered ancient words in a tongue that was only used in the twin mountains of Caleymeint. Drecten. The two children's magic filled souls separated from their bodies and floated above the air before sinking into the stone itself. The altar glowed a dark blue, shaking slightly from the sacrifices. A light issued from it, consuming everything in its path. Taske stepped wisely back, avoiding the glow. The guards and the children, however, vanished, eaten away by the dark magic. 

Taske shrugged. The less people who knew of this, the better. The glowing ceased and the chamber returned to normal. A small stone now lied upon the altar, dark and dormant. Now, it was only a simple rock with no use at all. It needed a source of power. A strong source. Taske thought for a moment and took the stone. If only he could find the power…Clow's magic could work…Takse would have to chance it…he needed to go to the twin mountains, where he had banished Clow. That was the only place with a devise strong enough to do the exchange. 

The people who lived there would not be willing. They were protectors of good…still…he would find away. He'd kill them all if he had to. This stone offered true power. It offered the chance to rule the world. To become the most powerful. Now that it had been brought back into the present world, taken from its dark tomb where those idiots tried to imprison it, Taske felt that there would be nothing to stop him. The blue stone was his and he'd have its strength. 

Sakura shivered as a strange feeling washed over here. "Are you okay?" Tomoyo asked, as usual very observant by Sakura's change in attitude. 

"I'm okay." Sakura reassured her, smiling brightly. She unconsciously stuck her hand in her pocket and fingered the silver ring, getting a little comfort from it. Even though it was designed to block her magic, when she touched it she had this feeling that her mother was watching out for her. That her family was watching out for her. She ran ahead a few feet, though not very fast since the trees made traveling difficult. They were everywhere, thickly hiding whatever creatures that could be lurking inside. Sakura gulped at the though and waited for everyone to catch up with her.

"We'll have to avoid all main cities." Shoaran suddenly said.

"Right." Eriol agreed. "We are already considered traitors. If you two are seen with us, they'll think that we really did kidnap you and it would only be worst for us."

"Shoaran just thinks of everything!" Meiling exclaimed.

"I wouldn't have thought of that." Sakura admitted. "You really are smart." Shoaran looked at her for a minute, and for a suddenly Sakura felt embarrassed. It was true that thought wouldn't have reached her at first, but she wished she hadn't told everybody that. 'Oh well.' She thought. 'It'll be fine.' She smiled at Shoaran, who suddenly turned away.

"How far is it!!??" Meiling suddenly wined. "We have to been walking for hours and all I see is trees, trees, and more trees!" She kicked at one for emphasis. "See!"

"Actually, it's been a half hour." Tomoyo told her. Eriol nodded in agreement.

"Jeesh!" Meiling sighed, then gasped. 

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked worriedly. 

"I just saw something move!" Meiling pointed through the trees.

"It was probably just a squirrel or rabbit." Shoaran told her. Sakura noticed that Eriol and Tomoyo exchange a quick glance.

"Have you heard anything?" Tomoyo asked him.

"No, not for sometime." Eriol said thoughtfully.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Sakura asked curiously.

"No birds and insects on a nice day like this…" Tomoyo trailed off.

"Your right. We should be on our guard." Eriol said, casually holding his pendent. Shoaran nodded in agreement, also catching onto the meaning. Sakura wasn't sure whether to take her sword or her new item, but finally settled on the sword, since at least she knew how to use it. Tomoyo edged a little closer to Eriol, realizing that without any weapon, she'd be in trouble.

"What are you guys so worried about?" Meiling asked. "It was probably my imagination." She still followed their idea and withdrew her own weapons, one dagger in each hand. 

For a second, no one moved, listening carefully for sounds of something lurking in the woods. After a little bit, Shoaran motioned they should continue to go, just stay on guard. Everyone was quick to agree. 

Sakura was getting a little scared. Now that she realized how unnaturally still the forest was, she began to wonder if it would be a grotesque monster or some other creature ready to attack them. 'At least Shoaran and Eriol can use their magic.' She reassured herself.

Just as she was about to relax, she heard a sudden cry from her companions. She look at them and blinked in surprise. All of them had stumbled into an unusual spider's web. It was gigantic with its web stretching easily twenty feet in diameter. The only reason Sakura hadn't got caught in it was because she had fallen a little behind the others. 

"Get us out of here!" Meiling was completely trapped, while the other three just had their hands caught in the sticky goo. Sakura quickly used her sword to try to chop away at the trap, but it simply got tangled up and soon she wasn't able to move it at all.

"Be careful." Tomoyo warned. "It seems to stick the moment it touches you."

"Also, its invisible until you touch it." Eriol commented. "There could be more webs around us and we'd never know."

"More?" Sakura squeaked. "What should I do? My sword won't work."

"Magic would! If only Shoaran had been the one free and you were trapped. We'd be free in no time with him." Meiling sighed. "At least whatever built the web isn't home."

"But it could return." Eriol said calmly.

"Don't say that!" Meiling cried. "It might be far away. This could be abandoned for all we know!" Sakura noticed Tomoyo was looking at the web curiously. 

"I'd stop moving if I were you." She told Meiling. "Until we get out, it'll be best if we remain still."

"Why should I?" Meiling pouted. "The girl's sword is stuck and she can't use magic yet. If I keep moving, maybe I'll wiggle my way out."

"Or you'll alert the spider that it has visitors." Eriol caught on to what Tomoyo had already realized.

"The spiders web…it's probably connected to all the others, isn't it…" Shoaran was also picking up on the connection. 

"What are you saying!?" Meiling demanded.

"It can feel the vibrations we make on the web." Tomoyo explained.

"Oh…" Meiling suddenly grew very still.

"Um…don't worry. I'll get you all out." Sakura promised, then took out her pendent. "Maybe it'll work now." She said thoughtfully. 'Please work…' She held it and concentrated. Nothing happened.

"Focus." Shoaran coached her, then grew as still as Meiling. In fact, everyone but Sakura sensed something. 

"The web is moving…" Sakura noticed. "And you're not moving…"

"It seems like our host has arrived." Eriol said thoughtfully, just as a huge spider broke from the trees high above them. Sakura trembled at the sight of the monster. Its many eyes looked all around her and settled on the trapped forms below it. The legs moved with such grace and sickening quickness that Sakura felt her knees tremble. 

"Fight!" Meiling cried. "Help us!" Sakura nodded. 'How can I help? Its so big…what can I do?' 

Sakura picked up a few rocks off the ground and threw them at the spider. "Hey spider! Leave them alone!" She called, glad that her voice wasn't wavering. She was so scared--her heart was pounding in her chest and she just wanted to run…but she wouldn't leave her friends to this creature. Even though the spider paused as her make do missiles hit it, it didn't veer from its course. It was heading down toward Meiling, the most tightly trapped of the bunch. 'No!' Sakura thought wildly. 'I have to do something!'

Sakura looked down for something else she could throw at it, but the only thing she could find was the pendent in her hand. The spider was now busy wrapping a screaming Meiling with more thread. All the others were doing their best to fend the spider off, but were only getting more entangled. 'Please…Please…I must save them…' Sakura whispered silently. She wrapped her hands around her pendent and concentrated. 

Instead of the normal blankness, she a strange, throbbing power echo through her, settling finally in her pendent. She watched as the strange object grew…into a wand that was the perfect size for her. "I…I did it…" She said softly.

"Good job Sakura!" Tomoyo shouted toward her.

"This isn't the best time to praise her!" Meiling snapped, just as the spider covered her face with sticky web, seeming oblivious to their conversation. It didn't seem worried about them escaping at all, as though knowing that nothing could get out of it's web. Sakura found herself momentarily frozen with fear. She couldn't help herself…this was a hideous monster and all she wanted to do was to hide. 'I'm such a coward!' Sakura told herself.

"Don't just stand there!" She heard Shoaran yell at her. She looked up quickly, his voice breaking her momentary shock. Meiling was almost entirely wrapped and the spider's fangs seemed to be glistening, as though anticipating the meal it was about to receive.

Sakura had no idea how to the wand, but before she could question herself, she was already pointing it at the spider. 'Please…fire…' She thought to herself. 'A fire that'll burn away the web but not hurt my friends…' Picturing the ideal attack, she glared the best she could and stated firmly, "Fire." 

Flames suddenly surrounded her, but she wasn't burned. In fact…she felt as though she was the flames herself. She could sense their heat, what they saw, but at the same time she was standing right where she cast the spell, still seeing things from her view point. She willed it forward, watching in amazement as it responded and began to burn the web. 

Meiling fell from her casing as the web turned to ashes, gasping for breath. The other's were free as well, but Shoaran and Eriol had already turned their attention to the spider, who seemed stunned by this sudden change of events.

"Water." Eriol said softly.

"Thunder!" Shoaran cried. The two attacks landed on the spider, the water conducting the electricity to make it even more effective. The spider fell to the ground, its legs twitching slightly. It wasn't dead, but it would definitely be out for several hours, if not days.

"Gross." Meiling muttered, sweeping spider webs off her shoulders. "I hate spiders." She went and kicked the giant body, then leaped back as a leg touched her foot. "Well, I guess you have your uses too." She said, turning to Sakura.

Sakura quickly shook her head. "All I did was burn away the web. If Shoaran hadn't of helped me…I'd still be standing…there…completely scared…Eriol and Shoaran stopped the spid…" Sakura watched as the world spun before her eyes. She felt incredibly dizzy and suddenly tipped forward, but was caught before she reached the grass. 'I feel very weak…' Sakura thought to herself. "Thanks." She said slowly, looking to see that Shoaran was the one to save her from landing on the ground. 

"Are you okay?" Tomoyo asked worriedly, standing anxiously by Shoaran. 

"I'm fine…just…tired." Sakura murmured.

"Its normal. This is the first time she's cast a spell and her body is not use to it." Eriol explained. "It's strange though…"

"What's strange?" Meiling asked.

"Well, most people have to learn a spell or to have at least seen it performed before. I have never seen that kind of fire cast during my training. Sakura must have made it all on her own." Eriol said thoughtfully.

"Her own spells." Tomoyo cried happily. 

"Now what are we going to do now?" Meiling asked. "I don't want to be near this spider and the girl can't even walk right now."

"I'll carry her." Shoaran said after a moment. Sakura felt herself be lifted up.

"Wait--I can walk." Sakura mumbled sleepily. "I don't want to be a burden…"

"You helped save us. You're not a burden." Sakura heard Shoaran say, but she was already falling fast asleep.

Tomoyo smiled as her friend fell asleep. "That was very nice of you, Shoaran." She told him. "Sakura would have probably forced herself to walk otherwise."

"It-it's nothing." Shoaran said hastily. Tomoyo looked at him closely. Was there a faint blush on his face? She couldn't tell from the dim splotches of light coming through the trees. 

"Hey, Shoaran." Meiling called, grabbing around his neck, careful not to dislodge Sakura. "If I suddenly get tired, would you carry me too?"

"Only if you were on the point of falling over." Shoaran replied.

"Oh, but your carrying her, so why can't you carry me?"

"She was at the point of falling over." 

"Eriol." Tomoyo pulled the other apprentice aside. "Is it just me, or is Meiling more in love with Shoaran then Shoaran is with her?"

Eriol smiled. "Meiling was the one who convinced him to marry her. The only way he can stop the marriage is if he finds someone he loves more than her. Meiling does her best to keep away all potential candidates though."

"Oh." Tomoyo nodded in understanding. "So, Shoaran does care for Meiling, perhaps even love her, but not quite in boyfriend to girlfriend way, correct?"

"Correct." Eriol agreed. 

"Hmm." Tomoyo said thoughtfully, thinking over this new bit of information.

"Come on both of you!" Meiling called. "You're falling behind us even though Shoaran is the one carrying Kinomoto." 'She has never called neither Sakura nor I by our first names. Shoaran doesn't even use our names at all. Interesting.'

"We best catch up, or else Meiling will do something drastic to get us to hurry. She probably was a bit more frightened of almost being eaten by the spider then she lets out and doesn't want it to happen again." Eriol whispered to her. Tomoyo nodded in agreement.

******

I finally got the next chapter out! A big thanks to all of those who reviewed! Please continue too!

Anyway, I hope you liked it and I'll write more as soon as I can!


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